Alright, here’s the deal with the IMS Arizona Marathon. The race director said some of the pace folks using GPS receivers also noticed variations in the course length. But they’ve decided to let the results stand as they are since USATF certified it.
Now, apparently USATF is calculating the course length by having two people ride bicycles that somehow use their wheels to measure the course. The bicyclist and ex-shop rat in me doesn’t like that – there are simply too many variables involved in a bike tire versus the cold-blooded accuracy of a modern GPS receiver. Cruise missiles use GPS receivers for guidance, not tires (obviously!).
The race director did say that next year’s plans call for some adjustments to the course. I think that’s a reasonable compromise.
Either way, my wife and I still scored our personal records. So I can dig it. Good luck to ‘em next year, right?
More From wandering_justin
- Three Shots from the New Pentax
- Scenes from the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
- A glitch in the IMS Marathon matrix
wandering_justin Recommends
- Backpacking on the cheap: The real way to get Cheap Flights (Gear Up and Play)
- About the Denver Post travel blog (Carrying On: Travel Blog)
- Nick Martin joins the Arizona Guardian (Heat City)
